The adidas Eurocamp finished in Treviso, Italy and despite the fact that there were some scouts that expressed their disappointment for the lack of elite talented players, the truth is that things were actually better that many anticipated at the beginning of the camp.
There were players who definitely stepped up in Treviso, showing their abilities. It is a fact that most of them can’t be considered NBA ready, but still that doesn’t change the fact that there were some players who managed to raise their stock, either with immediate impact or for the long run.
Here is a look at the players who caught the eyes of scouts in Treviso:
Ognjen Jaramaz (6-3, PG, Serbia, 1995) – The Serbian participated in only 2 of the 3 days of the Eurocamp, but that didn’t stop him from being nominated the MVP of the event. Jaramaz impressed the scouts with his approach. He was always in attack mode, he had two great games against the two USA teams – although it has to be noted that he was up against players 4 and 5 years younger than him – and showed great passing instincts. The auto-eligible Mega Leks’ player isn’t a true point guard and there are some things in his game that he needs to improve upon. With that said, he was a real bright spot and it shouldn’t be a huge surprise if he gets drafted in the 2nd round ot this year’s draft.
Dzanan Musa (6-9, SG, Bosnia, 1999) – Over the last couple years Musa has been considered one of the best prospects of his age group in Europe. The thing is that a lot of scouts were skeptical of him, wondering whether he could be anything besides a scorer. Well, they got their answer in this year’s Eurocamp were he was awarded as the “Rising star” of the event. The Bosnian prospect was really strong in the games he played against USA teams. What really made his performances impressive though wasn’t his ability to score the ball – which is undeniable – but all the other things he did on the floor, playing with a great motor, and showing a diverse game. Musa was playing defense and doing the simple things on offense, finding the open teammate and also operating the Pick and Roll as the ball handler, constantly passing to the rolling bigs. It is safe to say that he had one of the better showings at Eurocamp, hopefully giving a glimpse of his future.
Isaac Bonga (6-9, SF/PG, Germany, 1999) – It is not excessive to say that Bonga was probably the player that everybody was most excited to watch at this year’s Eurocamp. Considering the level of the pressure he had to endure, the German prospect was pretty solid, despite the fact he failed to stand out and impress. Bonga did have more good than bad moments in Treviso. It is obvious that he is still trying to adjust to his constantly growing body and is still questionable whether he can actually play as a point guard at the next level. Still, Bonga’s skill set, body language and athleticism stood out and were combined with great passing instincts and some nice athletic plays.
Michael Fusek (7-5, C, Slovak Republic, 1995) – After a mediocre showing in the first day of Eurocamp, Michael Fusek was much better the last two days. Playing alongside Jaramaz and Musa, who were readily willing to run the Pick and Roll with him and pass him the ball, the Slovakian prospect had some great moments on offense. And also it didn’t hurt the fact that he was really good in the shooting drills, showing his range. At the same time, he had some really good moments on defense too, blocking a lot of shots, which helped him to be nominated “Best Defender” of the event. Fusek has long ways to go, he needs to continue bulking up his body and develop a better post game. But he can still be considered a guy to keep an eye to thanks to his size and skill set. A potential project that has a shot to be selected to see what he can become over the next few seasons in Europe.
Arnoldas Kulboka (6-8, SF, Lithuania, 1998) – He tried hard to impress scouts. He looked like he was out of place at times. He struggled with his shot. With that said, Kulboka still managed to confirm that he was among the best prospects of the Eurocamp. His shooting stroke is as beautiful as ever (he won the 3-point contest), his length and athleticism are above average for a European and his upside makes him intriguing. If he manages to improve his defense and ball handling and learns to better handle the ups and downs he has, then he is really someone to keep an eye on.
Kostja Mushidi (6-5, SG, Germany, 1998) – The fact that he decided to withdraw his name from this year’s draft is definitely a sign that he didn’t impress the scouts in attendance in Treviso. Like Jaramaz, Mushidi played only in the last two days of Eurocamp. The difference between he and his teammate though is that he failed to take over any games. Mushidi isn’t ready for the NBA yet, but the fact that his strong points (length, athleticism, one on one defense and spot up potential) are translatable at the NBA level, help his cause.
Ismael Bako (6-10, C, Belgium, 1995) – He was probably one of the most consistent bigs at Eurocamp, earning a spot on the first team of the event. And the reason he was so effective is because he didn’t try to do too much. Bako stuck to what he is good at, going strong for the boards, playing solid defense – even when he switched on perimeter players – and executing the Pick and Roll at a great level, and rolling hard to the basket. The Belgium prospect has his flaws: His shooting mechanics are flawed and his hands aren’t soft – which leads to some bad finishes around the basket when he doesn’t go for the dunk – but despite all this, the truth is that his stock clearly rose in Treviso. He has put himself in position to hear his name called on draft night. Whether he ever plays in the NBA is another story.
Gytis Masiulis (6-9, PF, Lithuania, 1998) – He was one of the youngest players in this year’s Eurocamp, but if someone didn’t know that he wouldn’t have noticed. Masiulis had probably the best showing in this year’s Eurocamp by any other big. The Lituanian prospect showed that he can be a great Stretch-4 in the future by knocking up some Spot up 3s. He has great basketball I.Q, he always gives 100% and fights for every possession. Sure, he isn’t a high level athlete, which is probably his biggest flaw, but he makes up for it with his length, strong body and basketball I.Q.
Honorable Mention
Goga Bitadze (6-11, C, Georgia, 1999) managed all the hype around him with a solid showing, being one of youngest players in Treviso, showing his rebounding ability. Verners Kohs (6-8, SG/SF, Latvia, 1997) was one of the best shooters at Eurocamp along with Kulboka, impressing with his range. Amar Gegic (6-7, PG, Bosnia, 1998) was really good the first two days, playing both guard positions, showing his elite athleticism and great court vision. Mario Ihring (6-3, PG, Slovak Republic, 1998) was probably the second fastest point guard after Jaramaz and showed great ability at knocking down 3s, while he is an excellent ball handler and passer. Abdoulaye N'Doye (6-6, PG, France, 1998) played only in the first day, but he was probably the best perimeter defender and impressed with his amazing wingspan (just over 7 feet!). Emircan Kosut (7-1, C, Turkey, 1995) also played just one day because of a strained ankle, but he was actually better than expected, showing some nice touch around the basket.
2017 adidas EUROCAMP Participants
Ege Arar TUR Galatasaray 1996
Luka Asceric AUT Lille 1997
Ismail Bako 1995 BEL Leuven
Romaric Belemene 1997 CGO Manresa
James Birsen 1995 TUR Istanbul B.B.
Goga Bitadze 1999 GEO Smederevo
Tamir Blatt 1997 ISR Hapoel Tel Aviv
Isaac Bonga 1999 GER Frankfurt Skyliners
Luka Bozic 1996 CRO KK Zagreb
Emanuel Cate 1997 ROU Sevilla
Berkan Durmaz 1997 TUR Tofas
Martynas Echodas 1997 LTU Siauliai
Cheick Faye 1998 SEN NBA Academy Africa
Richard Freudenberg 1998 GER St. John’s
Michael Fusek 1995 SVK Spirou Charleroi
Sergi Garcia 1997 ESP Zaragoza
Amar Gegic 1998 BIH Bayern Munich
Egemen Guven 1996 TUR Pinar Karsiyaka
Eduards Hazners 1998 LAT VEF Riga
Mario Ihring 1998 SVK Orlandina |
Aleksa Ilic 1996 MNE Buducnost
Karim Jallow 1997 GER Bayern Munich
Ognjen Jamaraz 1995 SRB Mega Leks
Verners Kohs 1997 LAT GBA Sparta
Antonios Koniaris 1997 GRE Paok
Emircan Kosut 1995 TUR Yesilgiresun Belediye
Arnoldas Kulboka 1998 LTU Brose Baskets Bamberg
Michail Lountzis 1998 GRE Panathinaikos
Alexander Madsen 1995 FIN USK Praha
Gytis Masiulis 1998 LTU Zalgiris
Yordan Minchev 1998 BUL Fenerbahce
Regimantas Miniotas 1996 LTU Vytautas
Dzanan Musa 1999 BIH Cedevita Zagreb
Kostja Mushidi 1998 GER Mega Leks
Abdoulaye N'Doye 1998 FRA Cholet
Louis Olinde 1998 GER Brose Baskets Bamberg
Marcel Ponitka 1997 POL Asseco
Martynas Sajus 1996 LTU Polpharma Starograd
Dmytro Skapintsev 1998 UKR Cherkasy
Marko Tejic 1995 SRB Mega Leks
Agasiy Tonoyan 1998 RUS Avtodor
Hans Vanwijn 1996 BEL Limburg United
Santiago Yusta 1997 ESP Obradoiro
Kristupas Zamaitis 1996 LTU Vytautas
